In many industries it is required to set up an array of equipment at a temporary work site, and then disassemble the installation, move it to another work site, and re-assemble it. For example, asphalt and concrete plants are often set up in locations where large quantities of material are required for road or building construction. Similarly, well drilling rigs, such as those drilling for oil and gas, are set up at a drilling location, then taken down and moved to a different drilling location.
These portable plants and rigs typically include various tanks, bins, silos, and the like for water, asphalt, sand, cement, and other materials such as might be required at any particular work site. These are transported to the work site, often in a lowered horizontal transport orientation, and then raised to a vertical working orientation at the work site. For example, bins containing dry material especially are often elongated vertically when in a working position to maximize the quantity of material stored above a hoppered bottom such that the dry material will flow out by gravity.
This vertical orientation also reduces the ground area, or footprint, occupied by the installation. For example, in well drilling installations it is necessary to have a number of different materials located in proximity to the well being drilled, and the vertical orientation of tanks and bins facilitates such proximity. In other installations it may also be desirable to minimize the area occupied.
Bins and tanks are typically carried by flat bed trucks or trailers to the work site. The trailer is maneuvered into position, and then the bin is raised from the horizontal transport position to a vertical working position resting on the ground, and the trailer is moved away from the site. A loader machine or crane can be used, or in some cases the trailer may include a tilt up deck or hoist to raise the object to the vertical, or near vertical position. Tipping and dumping vehicles are well known for a wide variety of purposes where the load carried is tilted upward from a substantially horizontal transport position.
At a work site such as an asphalt or concrete plant, oil or gas well, or the like it is generally required to orient the bin or tank so that the contents can be removed as required. Where the contents are liquid generally an outlet port with a valve is provided so that conduits can be connected to deliver the liquid where required. A pump may also be required to move the liquid to the desired location of use. Orienting the outlet port on the tank close to the use location can shorten or simplify the conduit configuration, but generally orientation of the outlet is not critical, since liquid material can readily be delivered through a conduit network. Where the location of the outlet port is more critical, extra ports can be provided to enable an operator to draw liquid out of the tank at multiple locations.
Where the contents are granular, such as sand, cement, or the like, orientation of the outlet port is more critical. Bins holding granular material typically have a hoppered bottom to direct the last granular material out through the outlet port when the bin is getting empty. Thus it is not generally possible to conveniently provide multiple outlet ports on a granular material bin, and the outlet port is thus in a fixed location. Granular material also cannot flow or be easily pumped through a conduit, and so it is commonly required to provide a conveyor to move the granular material from the outlet port to the use location. Such conveyors are typically fixed in length and do not have the flexibility of conduits such as hoses used for liquid material. Thus, orientation of a bin for granular material when it is raised to the working position is more problematic. In order to properly orient the bin the trailer carrying the bin must be maneuvered to get the desired orientation, often in a limited area obstructed by other tanks, bins, and equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,626 to Batterton et al., for example, discloses an erection means for a transport trailer. A large object such as a bin is carried on a flatbed trailer in a horizontal orientation. The bin is pivotally attached to the rear end of the trailer, and actuators bear against the bin and trailer to pivot the bin up to the vertical position. The apparatus is configured such that when the bin is vertical the floor of the bin is on the ground. The bin can then be disconnected from the trailer and actuators, and the trailer is driven away.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,263 to Jackson discloses a tipper vehicle that carries a load in a lowered position, illustrated as somewhat up from horizontal, and then raises the load to a vertical orientation resting on the ground. The described embodiment is for carrying a load comprising a stack of straw bales and depositing the bales on the ground. Once the load is tipped up to the vertical position, the trailer is driven away and the rear end of the vehicle slides out from under the stack of bales.